I will be comparing My Name is Khan and Mother India, which happen to be in the top three of my favorite films that we have watched in class this semester. I chose to compare these two films primarily because they are both politically or nationally motivated, they were two of the most expensive films of that year or their respective era, they are based on the main characters' honoring of their religions and homes, and are both two of the most successful films of their respective years and two of the most popular of all time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay My Name is Khan and Mother India were both the most expensive films of their era. The rights to the film My Name is Khan were purchased for 15 million from FOX Star Entertainment, so it was the most expensive Bollywood film of 2010. Mother India was the most expensive film production of that era (late 1950s ), approximately $775,000 because it was in color when most films were still black and white and because of the many exterior scenes, such as the many scenes that include intense flooding and the massive fire scene near the end of the film. However, My Name is Khan was a huge success overseas, in the United States: "this big budget film was a blockbuster both in India and abroad and, at the time, was the Indian film most profitable on foreign markets” (1). Both Name is Khan and Mother India are films that have strong national ties, are somewhat politically based, and show signs of great honor and perseverance on the part of the main characters for the home and religions. In My Name is Khan, the lead actor, Khan, wants to tell President Barack Obama "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist" because his stepson (Sameer) was murdered because he was of Middle Eastern descent and that the film's setting was based on before, during and after 9/11, where many Americans became violent and aggressive towards Middle Eastern people, even though Sameer and his mother, Mandira, are not Muslims. This film received a lot of press before its premiere due to its many political controversies throughout the film. Since the terrorism of September 11 became a popular subject in films, "the popularity of the subject of terrorism in the Hollywood cultural machine in recent years suggests that we have entered a new phase in the nation's current drama" (222). . In Mother India, Radha is proud of herself and her village. She gives Birju so many chances but in the end she doesn't want to lose her honor anymore and kills her son for the safety of the girl he kidnapped and herself. This also shows how bad the banking system is where they live because they took out a loan and have been in debt their whole life to the man they got a loan from. The filmmaking techniques are similar in both films as they do a lot of close-ups of faces and fast-forwarding scenes showing various characters and movements. They are both in color although it was not very common in the 1950s to have a color film like in Mother India. Since they are big budget films, they have very good production and filming quality. Both of these films have very good reviews from critics and non-critics alike and are on the list of highest-grossing films. Mother India is particularly acclaimed as it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1958 Academy Awards, ranking among the best lists.